


Worn Out Faces

by SummySwan



Category: Karneval (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Gareki can’t catch a break, M/M, Prostitution mention, part 54793, this show aired years ago but here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 05:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21333346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummySwan/pseuds/SummySwan
Summary: Gareki wasn’t able to distract himself with his dreary thoughts when Yogi’s high pitched voice kept catching his attention, and it pissed him off.
Relationships: Gareki & Yogi (Karneval), Gareki/Yogi (Karneval)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 67





	Worn Out Faces

**Author's Note:**

> the Karneval anime: aired literally 5 billion years ago  
my brain: bro u gotta make a fic for this

Gareki was accustomed to eyes bleeding holes into his back, whether it was from lust, malice, or a dangerous mix of both. Maybe the reason he was such an avid subject of interest was because he was younger, appearing more pure, not seeming to look as dirty as the rest of them. Or, perhaps, it was because he was seen as a prize of sorts, one that only those who could afford would have within their grasps. His two previous accomplices in thievery has always claimed that Gareki had people take to his luxurious looks like a crow would to a shiny object; They wanted to store him away in their nests for themselves alone, yet another shiny thing they craved despite the countless riches bestowed upon them. 

But regardless of that theory, even after joining Circus, Gareki found that many strangers still took to openly leering at him when given the opportunity. Just walking through a town’s market had people more drawn to him than they were to the food they were supposed to be buying, like they wanted to devour him the second he became vulnerable, being ripe for the picking. He wasn’t really sure why he attracted so much attention; Gareki didn’t consider himself notably attractive, so perhaps his lack of giving two shits was more appealing than he had realized. People had weird taste if they were interested in him, after all.

Yogi chatted absentmindedly beside him, not realizing that the younger man was becoming more and more agitated at the mindless chatter. Gareki wasn’t able to distract himself with his dreary thoughts when Yogi’s high pitched voice kept catching his attention, and it pissed him off. He wasn’t even able to think in peace with the other man around.

“Oi.” Gareki finally cut him off, “Why are you even here?”

“Mean, Gareki-kun!” Yogi cried, pouting like a small child. “Hirato-san doesn’t want you shopping for parts by yourself because this town is a little...uhm...ah, how to put it...”

Gareki scowled at the obvious blush on the blond’s cheeks, wanting him to just cut to the chase already. How could he even manage to stutter so much? Thankfully, before Yogi could finish his meek attempt of an explanation, Gareki caught something in the corner of his eye. A few different women loitered by the alleys in skimpy clothing, handing out small cards with an exaggerated, flirtatious wink. Thinking back, Gareki had noticed a good portion of people loitering around in outfits that didn’t cover themselves too much. He paused and took the sight in, old images flashing blearily through his mind, before he glanced back on over towards the still stuttering blond.

“There’s a lot of prostitution here, you mean.” Gareki finished for him.

The way Yogi’s face was immediately drowning in a mix of embarrassment and horror made an amusing scene, lifting Gareki’s mood a little bit.

“G-G-Gareki-kun! Don’t say that so-“ Yogi whispered dramatically as he unsubtly glanced around to make sure no passerby’s had overheard, genuinely mortified at how simply the younger man had been able to say such a thing.

“It’s not uncommon.” Gareki shrugged casually, not catching the frown that sunk into Yogi’s face as he suddenly favored looking at the carts full of fruits on his left. 

“I suppose it is...but still...” Yogi seemed to deflate at the idea, not knowing why he felt the need to deny what Gareki was saying.

“What? Do you find it dirty?” Gareki tried to have a sarcastic and mocking tone, but the feeling behind it just wasn’t there. His mouth was pulled into a smirk, but his remark was only a mere facade of his usual snark. There was something else more meaningful and vulnerable beyond those specific words, but Yogi couldn’t place what it was, nor would he be aware of why this topic was a bit of a sore spot for Gareki. Yogi glanced over towards a younger woman who looked absolutely exhausted, but was still wearing a tight fitting dress along with a seductive smile. Yogi felt his heart clench in sympathy.

“No, just sad.” Yogi truthfully answered in a moment of rare seriousness, Gareki finally glancing back up towards him in surprise. “People having to sell themselves just to make ends meet...It really is sad.”

It was silent between them as they walked, but the sounds of the bustling town made enough noise for it to not feel stifling. A man hollering about a grand sale on his most likely mediocre vegetables, the countless murmurs of individual conversations throughout the crowd, and the scraping of shoes against dirt was filling up the space between them. Gareki had dragged his eyes away from the blond, a creeping feeling sliding up and around him. He found himself tucking his head lower into his shoulders, body lightly ducking a few inches as if from instinct alone, like he needed to hide.

“Gareki-kun?” Yogi shattered his gloomy atmosphere, blinking owlishly.

“Ah? What is it?” Gareki huffed.

“Isn’t the shop that you wanted to go to that way?” Yogi pointed towards the other pathway, the younger man not having even realized in his deep thought that the path had split two different ways.

Gareki tsked in response, turning towards the correct pathway and opening his mouth to make a snide comment, before suddenly halting in his tracks. His eyes widened and he felt like a wire ready to snap in a second’s worth of time, his skin prickled up and on alert. He had made eye-contact with a disturbingly familiar face, one that he hadn’t planned on coming into contact with ever again. Out of all the horrible people he had stolen from, all of the evil monsters he had seen murder people without a second thought, this wretched man was pretty damn high up on his list of things he didn’t want to deal with.

The hand that suddenly clapped down on his shoulder made him flinch, head snapping over to find Yogi, who was looking considerably worried. “Gareki-kun?” 

Gareki’s eyes flashed back over to the man who had haunted his dreams as a young teenager, now only seeing the back of his head as the person walked away into the crowd. He mustn’t have recognized Gareki, or just simply didn’t give enough of a shit to care about one of the many kids he had whored out in his business. And with that realization, the adrenaline immediately drained out of Gareki’s body, leaving a sense of dread pooling in his stomach.

“What?” He finally managed with a sigh, grateful his voice didn’t crack.

“You stopped walking suddenly...” Yogi frowned.

Any other time, Gareki would’ve made an undercutting remark to redirect the man’s attention away from the touchy subject, but he didn’t have the motivation to. Instead, he opted to ignore the other, sharply turning and leaving him behind as he walked back the way they had come from, away from the store and retracing his steps towards the Circus ship.

“Eh? Gareki-kun? Ah, wait up!” Yogi shuffled through the crowd, going against the flow of people to catch up to the other.

Gareki didn’t respond to him, and despite that not being out of the norm, Yogi felt a bad feeling settle in his chest, finally grasping the man’s wrist as caught up.

“...Gareki?” Yogi was unsure what had happened, only knowing that this was a moment where he needed to be extremely careful.

He didn’t receive a response, his frown deepening, before feeling a movement in the wrist that he had a hold on. It took him a moment before he was able to process that Gareki was shaking. 

“I just realized that the part I needed I already have,” Gareki spoke quietly, not looking back towards Yogi, “So we can go back to the ship.”

“Okay,” Yogi breathed, slowly releasing Gareki’s wrist, “Let’s go back home, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this Drabble!<3


End file.
